Traverse City in Grand Traverse County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Ladies Library Association
⎯⎯⎯
Ladies Library Building
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2023
1. Ladies Library Association side of marker
Ladies Library Association. Eight women met to organize the Traverse City Ladies Library Association on July 23, 1869. Their constitution, adopted on July 28, allowed any lady to join the library for a dollar. It cost 25 cents each quarter to “draw” books. Before long, they allowed men to also borrow materials. The library was to be open Fridays between “3 and 4½ oclock.” The association held lectures, fairs, socials and festivals to raise funds. By its first annual meeting, it boasted 329 purchased and donated books, magazines and newspapers.
Ladies Library Building. In 1878, the Ladies Library Association built its first library at 205 E. Front Street. It rented the second story as a public hall. It sold that structure, and on July 23, 1909, it laid the cornerstone and time capsule for this building. The architect was Fred E. Moore; the contractor, E. E. Buckner. The association gave the Red Cross Volunteer Service space for bandage making during World War II. In 1944 it donated the building to the city, which converted it into its police station in 1958. The building was rehabilitated for private law offices in 1986.
Erected 2018 by Michigan Historical Commission, Michigan History Center. (Marker Number L1309.)
Topics and series.
this page online
Location. 44° 45.745′ N, 85° 37.267′ W. Marker is in Traverse City, Michigan, in Grand Traverse County. It is on Cass Street just south of East State Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 216 Cass St, Traverse City MI 49684, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula and in the Grand Traverse Bay Region. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Central United Methodist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Park Place Hotel (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); City Opera House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Congregation Beth El (approx. 0.2 miles away); Hannah and Lay Mercantile Building (approx. 0.2 miles away); Con Foster and the Movies in Traverse City (approx. 0.2 miles away); Novotny's Saloon (approx. Ό mile away); Grand Traverse County Courthouse (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Traverse City.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Ladies Library Building
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2023
2. Ladies Library Building side of marker
Additional keywords. Libraries
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2023
3. Ladies Library Association / Ladies Library Building Marker
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 25, 2023
4. Ladies Library Building
The marker is all the way to the right.
Photographed by Paul Fehrenbach, September 26, 2020
5. Ladies Library Association / Ladies Library Building Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 8, 2021, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 1,613 times since then and 92 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 29, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 5. submitted on March 8, 2021, by Paul Fehrenbach of Richfield, Wisconsin. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
